Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), led by celebrated Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, performs two concerts featuring internationally renowned soprano Karina Gauvin, called "breathtaking," by The Times (London), on Saturday, October 15, 8 pm, at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, and Sunday, October 16, 2011, 7 pm, at UCLA's Royce Hall. Gauvin sings the Britten lullaby Now sleeps the crimson petal, with text by AlFred Lord Tennyson, as well as two other evocative Britten works, Les illuminations, based on the poetry of Arthur Rimbaud, who influenced a broad range of musicians, including Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison and Patti Smith. Gauvin first appeared with LACO in 2002 at the beginning of her career, which has since soared, making her one of classical music's most sought-after singers. Kahane opens the program with Dvo?ák's Nocturne in B major, Op. 40, and also conducts Beethoven's seminal Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, "Eroica," which he calls "one of two major watersheds in classical music." LACO is one of the nation's leading orchestras, acclaimed for its wide-ranging repertoire and adventurous commissioning initiatives.
The concert is part of the nationwide "Mutual Inspirations Festival," presented by the Embassy of the Czech Republic in honor of the 170th birthday of composer Antonin Dvo?ák, and is also a tribute to Daniel Pearl World Music Days in support of tolerance and humanity.
Tickets ($24 - $105) are on sale now and may be purchased online at laco.org, by calling LACO at 213 622 7001, or at the venue box office on the night of the concert, if tickets remain. Discounted tickets are also available by phone for seniors 65 years of age and older and groups of 12 or more. College students may purchase rush tickets one hour before curtain; also available for students is the $25 "Campus to Concert Hall All Access Pass" - good for all seven of LACO's Orchestral Series concerts at either the Alex Theatre or UCLA and for all three Westside Connections concerts at The Broad Stage, plus other benefits.
Equally at home at the keyboard or on the podium, JEFFREY KAHANE has established an international reputation as a truly versatile artist, recognized around the world for his mastery of diverse repertoire ranging from Bach, Mozart and Beethoven to Gershwin, Golijov and John Adams. In 2011-12, Kahane celebrates his 15th season as music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He previously served as music director of the Colorado and Santa Rosa symphonies. He has garnered tremendous critical acclaim for his innovative programming and commitment to education and community involvement and received multiple ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming for his work in both Los Angeles and Denver. In addition to his projects with LACO, he has recently appeared at the Aspen, Mostly Mozart, Blossom, Music@Menlo and Oregon Bach festivals; performed concertos with the Toronto and Houston symphonies; guest conducted the San Francisco, National and Indianapolis symphonies; and play/conducted programs in Europe with the Camerata Salzburg and Hamburg Symphony. Upcoming highlights for Kahane include concerto performances with the Indianapolis, Oregon and Colorado symphonies and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; play/conduct programs with the New York Philharmonic and with the Vancouver, Seattle, New Jersey, Omaha and Santa Rosa symphonies; his debut conducting the Juilliard Orchestra at Lincoln Center; play/conducting a Beyond the Score program with the Philadelphia Orchestra; and a solo/chamber music program at Walt Disney Concert Hall presented by the LA Phil in honor of his 15th anniversary as music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
Canada's superstar soprano KARINA GAUVIN has impressed audiences and critics all over the world with her luscious timbre, profound musicality and wide vocal range. The Globe and Mail calls her "one of the dream sopranos of our time." She has appeared with major orchestras including the Chicago, Toronto and Montréal symphony orchestras, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. This past season put focus on Mahler's Symphony No. 2, which Gauvin performed with the San Francisco Symphony under music director Michael Tilson Thomas and with the Orchestre Métropolitain in Montréal. She made her long-awaited debut with the New York Philharmonic in Handel's Messiah, a work she repeated with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. With more than 20 releases to her credit, Gauvin has been nominated consistently for the JUNO® and twice for GRAMMY® awards over the past decade. She won the JUNO® with Handel's Silete Venti and Apollo e Dafne (2001) and the Mozart Requiem performed with Les Violons du Roy (2003). Highlights of Gauvin's 2011-12 season include her return to the Québec Symphony on two occasions with Berlioz's Nuits d'été and the Mozart Requiem, return engagements with the San Francisco and Colorado symphonies, performances of Britten's Les illuminations with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and appearances with Les Violons du Roy and the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Gauvin's outstanding talent has been recognized in prestigious competitions worldwide. She won first prize at the CBC Young Performers Competition and received prizes at the ‘s-Hertogenbosch International Vocal Competition in the Netherlands. A graduate of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal, Gauvin studied with Marie Daveluy and pursued her postgraduate studies with Pamela Bowden at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland.
